CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- There seems to be confusion in the office of the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Charity Parker said she got bad information when she talked to a representative from the IDES.
“He told me, ‘Oh, Congress isn’t giving the unemployment anymore, because you’re getting the stimulus check,’” Parker said. “So, I knew what the gentleman told me wasn’t accurate."
She told CBS 2 that she later spoke to someone else in the office and that man told her she did get bad information.
“He informed me that the information that I was given by his representative was false,” she said. “‘Oh, somebody gave you misinformation. They don’t work in the state. They’re just answering calls.’ Why are they answering calls then if they don’t know the information?”
The IDES suggested she had spoken to a scammer.
“Stimulus checks are not disqualifying income for unemployment compensation, which means stimulus income does not need to be reported when certifying for benefits. If a claimant is being told this, that information is inaccurate and can be an indication the information is coming through fraudulent means," an IDES spokesperson told CBS 2. "“Given Section 1900, I can’t provide details here. However, no IDES call center reps have been given any information or instruction to relay to claimants the information contained in this call.”
Parker said that wasn't true, it was in fact an IDES representative.
“I don’t know why they won’t take responsibility for the misinformation that I was given,” she said.
There are questions about how many others have received bad information. This confusion comes as benefits are about to run out for a large number of Illinois residents.
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